Urban ecology and related environmental concerns
T. Gala; L. Boakye
Abstract
The world is witnessing a dramatic shift of settlement pattern from rural to urban population, particularly in developing countries. The rapid Addis Ababa urbanization reflects this global phenomenon and the subsequent socio-economic and environmental impacts, are causing massive public uproar and political ...
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The world is witnessing a dramatic shift of settlement pattern from rural to urban population, particularly in developing countries. The rapid Addis Ababa urbanization reflects this global phenomenon and the subsequent socio-economic and environmental impacts, are causing massive public uproar and political instability. The objective of this study was to use remotely sensed Landsat data to identify and quantify the land use and land cover types, as well as changes over time. Maximum likelihood algorithm of the supervised image classification was used to map land use land cover types, which consisted of Vegetation areas, built-up areas, agricultural lands, Bare lands, and Scrublands, for 1985, 2003, and 2017 images. Built-up areas (69 %) are the dominant land cover type in the study area, followed by Agricultural lands (22%) and Vegetation areas (7%), though the compositions have changed since 1985. Rapid urban growth is evidenced by the expansion of built-up areas by 370% The growth is at the expense of agricultural and vegetation areas, exposing farmers to loss of massive farmland and woodlands. Additionally, urbanization eroding percent green and open spaces, while also degrading the diversity of the city’s land use land cover types. With one of the world's highest fertility rates and massive rural-to-urban migration, unsustainable Addis Ababa urbanization is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. It is, therefore, critical to adapt sustainable urban planning, which involves consideration of Compact City, Secondary Cities, and Edge city designs to mitigate the adverse impacts of the rapid Addis Ababa urbanization.
Human capital in urban management
C.E. Akumu; S. Dennis; C. Reddy
Abstract
Land cover/land use categories are relevant components in land management. Understanding how land cover/land use change over time is necessary to assess the consequences of humans and natural stressors on the earth’s environment and resources. The aim of the study was to map and monitor the spatial ...
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Land cover/land use categories are relevant components in land management. Understanding how land cover/land use change over time is necessary to assess the consequences of humans and natural stressors on the earth’s environment and resources. The aim of the study was to map and monitor the spatial and temporal change in land cover/land use for the periods of 1977, 1991 and 2016 and to predict change detection areas in Davidson County, Tennessee. The land cover/land use categories were classified using maximum likelihood algorithm and post classification comparison change detection analysis was performed. Classified image differencing technique was also used to predict change detection areas in Geographic Information System. The land cover/land use categories were successfully classified with a kappa value of about 78%. The land cover/land use classes changed significantly from 1977 to 2016 in Davidson County, Tennessee. Wetlands and bare land had a net decrease on average of about 97% between 1977 and 2016 whereas; developed areas and forest had a net increase on average of around 40% between 1977 and 2016. Urbanization appeared to be one of the main drivers of the change in land cover/land use. This information could be used in land management and planning by environmental managers, policy makers and other stakeholders.